Arsenal suffer shock defeat to Bournemouth & let Man City back into title fight

Arsenals dream of securing an extraordinary quadruple might now be dashed, yet the Premier League and Champions League remain viable paths for Mikel Artetas team to etch their names in the clubs illustrious past.

That said, the Cherries arrived at this fixture without a loss in 11 Premier League outings, marking the leagues longest current streak, and they opened the scoring with their initial effort on goal just past the quarter hour. Eli Junior Kroupi netted it, slotting home at the back post for his tenth league strike this season following a low delivery from Adrien Truffert that took a deflection off William Saliba into his stride.

As has been typical in recent domestic encounters, Arsenal found it hard to find rhythm before the interval, though fortune smiled on them near the 30 minute mark.

Gabriel Magalhaess effort from close quarters hit the arm of Ryan Christie, prompting referee Michael Oliver to award a penalty, which Viktor Gyokeres converted with confidence from the spot.

Still, from that point until halftime, the away side appeared more threatening, as David Raya gathered a low shot from Evanilson and Alex Scott blazed over from range.

Post interval, Bournemouth kept up their attacking intent and dominated the ball in Arsenals territory. The Gunners, on the other hand, seemed rattled by the impatient supporters at home, their anxiety evident to everyone.

Midway through the second period, they thought they had scored, but Gyokeres was ruled offside prior to calmly finishing past Dorde Petrovic.

Searching for a leader to seize control, Arsenals deputy skipper Declan Rice stepped forward, unleashing a powerful long range strike that Petrovic clawed away over the crossbar.

Conversely, Christie and Scott sent efforts high into the stands, yet the latter dealt a crushing blow to Arsenals championship aspirations in the 74th minute by coolly beating Raya after Evanilson nudged the ball towards him.

Arsenals response saw them surge ahead seeking a leveller, forcing Petrovic to react sharply and divert substitute Gabriel Jesus header to safety.

In the end, however, the home side failed to mount sufficient late pressure on the Bournemouth defence, allowing the visitors to claim a vital victory.

This outcome propels them provisionally into the upper echelons of the Premier League table before the remaining weekend games, and manager Andoni Iraola merits high praise for his sides performances amid the loss of key talents in the past year.

By comparison, Arteta grows ever more worried about his squads resilience heading into the seasons decisive phase, and he will demand a strong showing when they face Sporting CP at home on Wednesday.